Crises in Love (Zora and Jaylan) novel Chapter 528

After Camilla and Fidelia left, I took the time to have a serious talk with Monique.

At first, she was stubborn as a mule, sticking out her little chin and arguing her case with the sass of a seasoned lawyer.

Well, I wasn’t about to be outdone. I puffed myself up with all the authority I had, and we got down to a full-blown debate.

Of course, the great mother-daughter debate ended with my victory. I had her nodding along with a newfound respect for me. She even bombarded me with questions, which I answered with all the seriousness they deserved.

The way she looked at me changed. It wasn’t with that flighty arrogance anymore but with awe.

I couldn’t help but smirk to myself. 'Kid, I’m your mom. Do you think you could out-argue me? Back in my day, I was the lead debater at school!'

Later, I vented to my dad, “Ugh, I’m beat. Raising a kid is exhausting! It’s like walking on eggshells, and you’ve got to be on your A-game all the time. Dad, is it this tough for everyone?”

Dad just smiled gently and took on his professorial tone. “Darling, did you think motherhood was a walk in the park? Especially with your kids who are so ambitious, it's going to take some brainpower.You’ve got to grow with them and see things from their perspective. In addition to keeping up with their thoughts, you should also outpace their ideas!”

His words weighed heavy on me.

I thought to myself, 'Why does everything get ten times more complicated when it comes to me? This feels harder than the SATs! What kind of little geniuses did I bring into this world that they need such extraordinary effort?'

But Dad was supportive, “You handled Fidelia’s situation very well!”

I perked up, sat up straight, and grinned at Dad. “Right? I had to be careful with that one. Camilla is so sensitive, so I couldn’t risk bruising her fragile ego!”

“Exactly. It’s different from when we adopted Carl. He was so young. With his mother gone, although he might not have been related to us, he’s always been around you, Monique and Probert. That creates a strong bond.

If you had given Carl to Jaylan, it would’ve been like ruining the kid or raising a future adversary. Do you think Jaylan has what it takes to be a good father? Out of the three kids, not including the missing one, has he ever shown real interest in any of them?”

Dad was spot on, and I agreed. That’s why I couldn’t bring myself to hand Carl over to Jaylan cold-heartedly.